1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the handling of attempted transmissions from facsimile machines which are inadvertently received by telephone stations. In particular, this invention is directed to the automatic blocking of unwanted facsimile transmissions by called parties.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of facsimile machines is becoming more prevalent in both the home and the office. In addition, many personal computers contain modems and related software to transmit and receive facsimiles of electronic documents.
Many of these facsimile devices have the capability to automatically re-dial the telephone number of the destination facsimile machine if, for example, a busy signal is detected or a proper connection is not made. These re-dialing systems continue to automatically re-dial the telephone number entered by the facsimile user after a predetermined time delay until the facsimile data is transmitted.
However, if the facsimile operator has entered an incorrect facsimile telephone number, the sending facsimile machine will continue to attempt to contact the destination facsimile machine repeatedly with no hope of success. This situation creates an inefficient use of resources for the facsimile operator and can be a considerable annoyance to the called party receiving repeated misdirected transmission attempts.